Rejuvenating Resorts

The Omni Homestead Resort and Spa

Thomas Jefferson visited the Homestead in 1818 and the resort’s original guest books document his 22-day visit. Suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, the former president experienced great relief from long soaks in the warm mineral springs and enjoyed the fine dining and outdoor activities at the resort. The octagonal-shaped Gentleman’s Pool – where Jefferson “took the waters” – was built in 1761 and is the oldest spa structure in the United States. It was renamed in homage to the great man’s visit, and today visitors can enjoy the same restorative benefits of the 43,000 gallons of constantly flowing warm mineral waters.

The Omni Homestead Resort and Spa

Those waters, at a natural temperature of 98.7 degrees, are also piped in to the Omni Spa, where you can take a long soak in a walnut tub. The healing liquid is also the main ingredient in a variety of exclusive Jefferson Pool spa products. The spa’s European-style Aqua Thermal Suite offers an array of hot and cold aquatic treatments, ranging from an herbal cocoon under a starlit ceiling to experiential showers and a cold cabin cool-off.

The Omni Homestead Resort and Spa

Enjoy a little presidential pampering of your own with complimentary afternoon tea in the majestic lobby in front of one of the two huge wood-burning fireplaces. In the evening, take a page from Thomas Jefferson’s book and enjoy a bistro-style dinner at the new restaurant named in his honor, where Chef Jason Ferrell serves up a selection of steaks and chops from the open-view grill. With a variety of small plates, salads and the grill menu, the restaurant lends itself to healthy fare. If you don’t see something that works for your diet, just ask. “If we have the ingredients, we’ll make it for you,” says Chef Ferrell.

Keswick Hall at Monticello

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Keswick Hall is 1912 Tuscan-style villa situated on 600 lush acres in the heart of Virginia wine country. Named the Top Small Resort in Mainland, USA by Condé Nast Traveler, Keswick Hall offers refined elegance and award-winning cuisine, as well as a vast array of activities – from golf, tennis, fitness classes and spa treatments to invigorating morning walks with the Keswick Club hunting hounds.

Keswick Hall at Monticello

The private mansion-cum-hotel boasts 48 opulent rooms and suites furnished with English and American antiques, as well as top shelf amenities and world-class dining at Fosset’s Restaurant, a destination in and of itself. There’s no formal check-in desk here: you’ll be welcomed as if you were a private guest and so will your furry family members.

Keswick Hall at Monticello

Once a private home known as Villa Crawford, which is now the historic north wing of the hotel, the original woodwork, fireplaces and staircase have been fully restored. Spend a cozy afternoon in front of a roaring fire in the lobby or library, or enjoy a game of billiards in the game room. Miles of hiking and nature trails offer you plenty of outdoor time, and there are a variety of classes in the fitness center. If you can’t find one that suits you, Director of Wellness Colette Long can customize a workout routine tailored to your specific goals. Guests love the choreographed Body Blast Weight Lifting class and the Mind Body Challenge, a combination of tai chi moves with yoga and Pilates mat work.

Keswick Hall at Monticello

Keswick Hall is a perfect location to explore the Monticello Wine Trail. In 2012, Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Virginia one of the world’s 10 best wine destinations and many of its finest vineyards are located in the Monticello American Viticultural Area (AVA), where Thomas Jefferson’s vision of producing great wines in his native state has finally come to fruition. Richard Hewitt, both the sommelier and resident winemaker of Keswick Hall’s private label, leads regular wine-tasting events at the resort and also offers private “insider” tours of some of the top wineries in the region.

The Salamander Resort and Spa

Located on the former horse farm of Washington socialite Pamela Harriman, the new Salamander Resort & Spa is a stunning 340-acre equestrian paradise in Middleburg. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to live on a country estate, this resort will give you a sneak peek into the elegant, yet understated, lifestyle of the Washington power brokers who reside in the area.

Sheila Johnson, the dynamic entrepreneur who co-founded Black Entertainment Television and is the founder of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, took inspiration from her own country estate in designing the luxury resort, and the opulent Owner’s Suite features furnishings and accessories from her private collection.

The Salamander Resort and Spa

The Salamander Spa offers a holistic health and wellness program tailored to your specific well-being needs, including integrative and regionalized treatments, along with educational workshops and results-driven therapies. The spacious complex includes a stunning couple’s suite for tandem treatments, aromatic steam rooms, a private courtyard and lush spa lounge. The spa’s innovative treatments go far beyond standard massage with offerings like magnetic therapy and a farm-to-treatment ritual based on the four seasons of the year that incorporates essential oils from local native plants, herbs, botanical blooms and organic fruits. Try the Rasul – a Moroccan-inspired therapy that takes place in a heated ceramic dome and uses a re-mineralizing mud to break down impurities in the skin. Pump up your heart rate at the huge indoor pool or try a fitness class for the whole family.

The Salamander Resort and Spa

Experience the sporting life through equestrian classes, ranging from dressage to steeplechasing, or try some new and intriguing horse-themed activities like equestrian yoga. A state-of-the-art cooking studio also offers unique classes, where you can learn how to butcher and cook game meats or how to make your own homemade pasta.

The Salamander Resort and Spa

Chef Todd Gray, owner and executive chef of Washington’s highly acclaimed Equinox Restaurant, oversees the culinary creations at the resort’s outlets, including the Piedmont-centric menu at the 110-seat equestrian-inspired restaurant.

All 17 suites and about half of the 151 guestrooms feature gas fireplaces, and all boast bathrooms with marble jetted showers, pedestal tubs and LCD televisions.

With golf, tennis, hiking, birding and guided nature tours, there’s plenty to do outdoors. Bring your own horse and stable it in the 22-stall barn to explore the extensive riding trails, or take a long walk with your best four-footed friend: dogs are also welcome at Salamander with no weight limits.

For more than four centuries, Virginia's cognoscenti have retreated to the bucolic countryside for rest and recreation. In 1755, George Washington rode up into the Allegheny Mountains to survey a site for Fort Dinwiddie and stopped off to enjoy the healing mineral waters at Warm Springs, already becoming known as a spa resort. Today, it's part of the Omni Homestead.

And, as an avid foxhunter, it's a relative certainty that Washington enjoyed the chase on the land around Charlottesville where the luxurious boutique hotel, Keswick Hall, nestles in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. All three of these resorts offer a unique take on health and wellness, along with an array of activities that range from equestrian yoga and ice skating to long walks with a pack of hunting hounds.

Washington was no stranger to Middleburg either: his first cousin, Joseph Chinn, used to own the property where the charming one-stoplight town is located, a close neighbor to the new Salamander Resort and Spa.

500 North Pendleton Street Middleburg,VA 20117

(866) 938-7370

Follow in your ancestors’ footsteps and enjoy a long winter weekend exploring some new ways to relax.